link'd together, either in Confanguinity or Intereft, it is no less requifite for them to agree upon a general Language, than it is for common Relations and Friends to underftand one another. I am very fenfible, that, fhould I follow the ufual Courfe of Dedications, it would naturally lead me into Encomiums of those early Virtues that shine fo glorioufly in Your Highness. But the Niceness of the Subject obliges me to wave any Attempt of that Kind; for to fay all that I am confcious You deserve, would certainly be cenfured as Flattery, by fuch, at least, as have never heard those Strokes of Wit and Judgment, which at once raise Wonder and Aftonishment in all, who have the Honour to approach Your Highness's Perfon. Thefe, Sir, are the promising Signs, that make Your Highness the dearest Comfort and Delight of Your Royal Parents, and which unite the Hearts and Wishes of these three Nations, who already anticipate, by longing Defires, the future Glory that shall flow from Your riper Accomplishments. That it may prove fo, is the most hearty and fervent Wish of him, who has no greater Ambition, than to be 27 X 441 The AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE Eighth EDITION. I Publish'd, about Twenty Six Years ago,The FIRSTRUDIMENTS of the French Tongue, calculated for the tendereft Capacities, and chiefly defigned for the late Duke of GLOCESTER,to whom they were infcribed. That Effay was fo favourably entertained, that I was foon after encouraged by that great Patronefs of Arts and Sciences, the late Queen ANNE (then Princess of Denmark) to compofe not only a Methodical French GRAMMAR, but likewife a DICTIONARY for the Ufe of her Royal Son. His untimely, and justly lamented Death deprived me of the Honour and Credit I had fome Reason to expect, from my contributing to fome Part of the Education of that promifing young Prince. But yet I had the Satisfaction to fee thofe two Compofitions fo well received, that, in a few Years, they bore feveral Impreffions, and almost entirely drowned all other Works of the fame Kind. This Preference could not but stir up the Jealousy and Envy not only of fome Grammaticafters, but chiefly of the Bookfellers concerned in the other French Grammars, who, indeed, left no Stone unturn'd to depreciate mine. I have hitherto difdained to take Notice, either of the impotent Snarls of the one, or of the ungenerous Arts of the other; but finding that my forbear A 3 ing ing Temper had embolden'd them to impofe upon the World a lame Interpolation of my Work, under the Title of The Royal French Grammar, the natural Tenderness of a Parent for his first Production will not permit me to remain any longer in Silence. I therefore embrace the Opportunity of this New Edition, to warn the Publick against that foul Plagiarism; and to affirm, that, bating fome Errors of the Prefs (which having crept into former Editions, are now carefully amended) and a few New Expreffions, which have been inferted in proper Places, I found no Reason to alter, or retract any Thing I had written Two and Twenty Years ago. This may fuffice to answer all the Cavils of my weak Antagonists, particularly of a Writer, who ftyles himself A COMPLEAT LINGUIST; who, with equal Modefty, has lately attempted an UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR of all the confiderable Tongues in being; and who, the fooner to dispatch the Work, manfully began to run through a whole Language in one Month. Whatever his Performances may be in the Greek and Latin, which I have not yet perufed, I dare affert and maintain, that be fhews himself to be but a mere Smatterer in the French. And therefore 'tis no Wonder, if with an Assurance peculiar to Sciolifts, he takes upon him to cenfure what be does not understand. Neither am I furpriz'd, if, writing Poft-bafte, he charges his own Overfights as Errors upon me; and, in particular, makes me fay what I never did in relation to Etymology. As to his Criticifms about Diphthongs and Accents, they only betray his abfolute Ignorance of the True French Pronunciation and Profody, which, it seems, this Compleat Linguift would pretend to fettle by the Standard of the Latin: a pedantick Ridicule, rather fit to divert, than provoke one's Spleen! Chandos-Street, A. BOYER. A New Methodical FRENCH Grammar. Definition and Divifion of Grammar. RAMMAR, in general, is the Art of Speaking and I. ARTICULATION, and III. ANALOGY. ORTHOGRAPHY. II. PROSODY. IV. SYNTAX. CHA P. I. B Y the natural Organs of Speech, Men are able to pronounce feveral fimple, articulate, or diftinct Sounds, with which may be framed a Mumber almost infinite of Compound Sounds; which last ferve to exprefs our Thoughts. According to this Pofition, Articulation is that Part of Grammar which treats of fimple Sounds, and of the Way of combining them together for the Compofition of Syllables and Words; in fhort, Articulation treats of the living Speech and Pronunciation. Orthography, which, in vulgar English, is alfo called Spelling, teaches to exprefs, or reprefent the living Speech by Characters, commonly called Letters." ARTICLE I. Of SIMPLE SOUNDS and LETTERS in general, There are in French about Thirty fimple Sounds, which fhould have as many Letters to represent them; but because we have borrowed our Letters from the Latin, there are fometimes feveral A 4 fimple fimple Sounds expreffed by one fingle Character; and all together are reprefented by Twenty Three Letters, in a Table called an Alphabet (from the Two firft Greek Letters, Alpha and Beta) viz. 1. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, X, Y, Z. OR, 2. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, f, t, u, x, y, z. Which in general may be thus pronounced; Aw, bé, ce, dé, ea, ef, ge, aush, ee, kaw, ell, em, en, o, pé, qu, er, ef, té, u, x, ee greek, zed. The Letters of the firft Row are called Capitals, and those of the fecond Common: of which more anon. *Note, That K is not properly a French Letter, being never to be found but in those Words which are derived from other Languages. ARTICLE II. The Divifion of LETTERS. Letters are divided into Vowels and Confonants. A Vowel is a Letter that forms a Voice, or perfect Sound of itself, without the Help of another. There are Six Vowels, viz. SA, E, I, O, U, Y. a, e, i, o, u, y. The reft of the Letters, viz. b, c, d, f, g, h, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, f, t, x, z, are called Confonants, that is, founding with another; because they cannot make a Sound, or be pronounced, without the Help of another, either before or after, as be, ce, em, en, &c. * Note, That i and u are fometimes Confonants, but then their Shape is a little altered, thus, J, V, or j, v, as you fee in the Beginning of these Words, Janifaire, Janiffary; Vertu, Virtue ; juge, judge; vifible, visible. As for H, it is neither Vowel nor Confonant, but only a Mark of Afpiration, as in thefe Words, Héros, Hero; bagard, wild, &c, ARTICLE III. Of the Combination of SOUNDS and LETTERS. From fome Letters fingly pronounced, or joined with others, arife Syllables; one or more Syllables make Words; Words make Sentences, which last make up the whole Language, or Speech. 1. A Syllable is the Sound of one or more Letters pronounced at one Time; as for Example, there are two Syllables in A me, the Soul; and four in En-ten-de-meat, Understanding. |